This institutional research collaboration will focus on newborn, child and maternal health linked to the Norway India Partnership Initiative (NIPI) under the Government of India National Rural Health Mission, an collaboration initiative agreed between the Norwegian and Indian Prime Ministers to reach the 4th and 5th Milleneum Development Goal.
Best of the Best
The three days of discussion and deliberations between the Indian and Norwegian Researchers were very fruitful, bringing together researchers from the two countries to create a common platform for implementation of operational health research and further developing the cooperation between Norway and India.
- NIPI gathered the best scientists in Norway and India in the field newborn, child and maternal health. We informed them about our work, created an arena for the scientists to discuss and explore possibilities for institutional collaboration, said Jan Håkon Olsson, Counsellor for NIPI at the Nowegian Embassy New Delhi.
Through a “call for expression of interest” the Embassy invited Norwegian Researchers to participate and selected 10 of the best institutions in Norway to participate. In collaboration with the key Indian partners some of the best institutions in India were invited to partner these Norwegian Institutions. Representatives from all the institutions came to the health research seminar in New Delhi.
Some of the participants in Operation Reseach debate
Operational Outcome
Research is an essential tool for assisting decision-makers in improving health and health systems in an effective and equitable manner.
- This was the main reason for bringing these highly eminent researchers together, so that the invited professors and researchers could recommend priority areas for research in order to help us achieve our aim of improving mother/child health in the 5 NIPI focus States in India, Counsellor Olsson continues.
- It was extremely ambitious to try to bring the best of the best together in such a short time. The response was amazing and exceeded all our expectations says Dr Bernadette N. Kumar Senior Health Advisor. I hope that the enthusiasm and the partnerships that were fostered during these days will continue to grow and strengthen to yield top quality evidence required for policy makers, she continues.
NIPI`s Joint Steering Committee has approved a sum of 15 million NOK (2.1 million USD approx).
The Embassy has launched the ‘Call for Proposals’ to l receive applications for Operational Research for the period 2009 - 2011.
- We are looking forward to receiving relevant, interesting and high quality applications Olsson adds.
The deadline for applying of research funds from NIPI is 15th of April 2009.
Meternal Health is one of the main priorities for NIPI
Prime Minister Initiative
The research seminar arranged in Delhi and the funding available is the result of the discussions between Norway and India at the highest level, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg the Prime Minister of Norway and Dr. Manmohan Singh the Prime Minister of India, in December 2005. The Norway-India Partnership Initiative (NIPI) followed as an agreement between the two governments, with the goal of collaboration toward the reduction of child mortality in India, one of the UN Millennium Development Goals. The Partnership effort is focused in 5 states of India, namely, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan & Orissa with a total population of about 500 million. These States together contribute almost 60% of country’s infant deaths.